Pinecrest Police seek ‘state accredited’ status

A team of assessors from the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation (CFA) will visit the Pinecrest Police Department in November to determine whether the department warrants state accredited status.

Police Chief Samuel Ceballos Jr. said the panel will examine policies and procedures, management, operations and support services in its review. He noted that since the department is already nationally accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), it only has to comply with 87 additional Floridabased standards to receive state.

The assessment team is composed of law enforcement officials from similar agencies. The assessors will review written materials; interview individuals; and visit offices and other places where compliance can be observed. The CFA Assessment is comprised of Team Leader Major Ron Cave from the Fish and Wildlife Conversation Commission Division of Law Enforcement and team members Nick Haupt from the Boca Raton Police Department and Lieutenant Doug Hardie from the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office.

Once the Commission’s assessors complete their review, they report to the full Commission for a decision on reaccrediting the PPD is for three more years. Verification by the team that Pinecrest meets the Commission’s standards is part of a voluntary process to gain or maintain accreditation, a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence.

A copy of the standards is available through the Pinecrest Police Accreditation Manager Major Jason Cohen at 305-234-2100. For more information regarding CFA or to offer written comments about the PPD’s ability to meet the standards of accreditation, write to: CFA, P.O. Box 1489, Tallahassee, FL 32302.